|
Eye defects can be corrected by surgery these days. One of the ways is LASIK
which stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. LASIK is a
surgical alternative to wearing corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses. It
was developed in 1990 and quickly became popular because of its greater
precision and lower frequency of complications. With nearsighted people, the
goal of LASIK is to flatten the too-steep cornea. With farsighted people, a
steeper cornea is desired.
Younger people with mild nearsightedness and astigmatism are the best
candidates for a good outcome. If you are considering LASIK eye surgery,
your first step is to choose a good LASIK surgeon who can evaluate whether
LASIK is right for you. Your eye surgeon will examine your eyes to determine
their health, what kind of vision correction you need and how much corneal
tissue removal is required. The doctor will also ask about any health
conditions that may disqualify you altogether for LASIK surgery.
LASIK is an outpatient procedure. The LASIK surgeon uses a computer to
adjust the laser for your particular prescription. You will be asked to look
at a target light for a short time while the laser sends pulses of light to
painlessly reshape your cornea. The actual LASIK surgery usually takes less
than five minutes.
Before surgery, the patient's corneas are examined to determine their
thickness. A topographer is used to measure their surface contour as well.
Then, using the information, the surgeon calculates the amount and locations
of corneal tissue to be removed during the operation. The operation itself
is made by creating a thin flap on the eye, folding it to enable remodeling
of the tissue underneath with laser. The flap is then repositioned and the
eye is left to heal in the postoperative period.
LASIK is performed in three steps. The first step is to create a flap of
corneal tissue. The second step is remodeling the cornea underneath the flap
with the laser. Finally, the flap is repositioned. A corneal suction ring is
applied to the eye, holding the eye in place. This step in the procedure can
sometimes cause small blood vessels to burst, resulting in bleeding.
Although many people who have had LASIK believe they see better than they
did with eyeglasses or contact lenses before surgery, not everyone has the
same experience. The feedback given is as follows. After LASIK, one can
expect the vision to be slightly better or about the same as it was with
glasses. A small percentage of people may notice that their vision is not
quite as good as it was before with glasses. However, the recipient should
be able to drive safely and perform other routine daily tasks without
needing glasses or contact lenses.
A few patients experience poor outcomes from LASIK surgical procedures.
Those that did, report a significantly reduced quality of life because of
vision problems. Generally, surveys determining patient satisfaction with
LASIK have found most patients satisfied, with satisfaction range being
92-98 percent. As can be seen, LASIK is a therefore breakthrough in eye
surgery to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. |
